Law of Love
by chittychittybangbang16
Summary: One lonely ballerina, two competing actors, one act of betrayal that will permanently change the course of their lives. adult content, language, suggestive themes.
1. La Vie

Well I'm doing what I promised myself I wouldn't-writing yet another AU fiction. Since my attempt at writing my first epic non AU story failed and I'm looking for a way to revamp it this will be what I write in the meantime.

* * *

_"Unrequited love is a ridiculous state, and it makes those in it behave ridiculously". ~ Cassandra Clare_

She was on the stage again.

Her feet glided against the floor. Her back arched and her fingers extended. She looked graceful, beautiful even. Her eyes were lost in the music. Her feet were lost in the movement._She _was lost in the moment.

The scene seemed familiar to her. No one was there except for her, but somehow the spotlight managed to stay on her. The song- it was one of her favorites. It was the finale to "Swan Lake" when Princess Odette jumps into the lake after the betrayal of Prince Siegfried and the trickery of Rothbart.

She was carried on her tiptoes -en pointe, a skill that had taken most of her career to learn. She pushed through the pain of literally all of her weight on her toe. When the dance was over, the curtain were drawn, and in the standing ovation she didn't remember the pain. She only remembered the dance. She understood that most would never know the pain of dance, but she gladly welcomed that pain every time and pushed a little more of herself into each step and each turn. Each dance was better than the last because each dance was a little more herself.

She spun into the famous thirty-two fouettés en tournant with bent knee. Then there was someone sitting in the audience. She was spinning so fast she couldn't tell who it was. She spotted the person to keep from getting dizzy. Then with each turn more people were appearing in the audience. Her face lost concentration and portrayed confusion. She lost track of the first person and hence lost her spot. She suddenly became worried about getting dizzy. She didn't think she'd be able to finish the tournant.

Sixteen…

Seventeen….

Eighteen…

But she managed. She fell back into flow with the music. She even managed to straighten her leg completely by the end. She fell into rest position one bended knee with one leg extended behind her. The audience began to applause. A smile almost found its way to her face. Her body slid up and the applause died down.

Suddenly someone was behind her, his hands on her waist. He led her across the stage, his hands never leaving her. They both performed a few glissades to the left and then to right. She tried to see his face but he was wearing a mask and whenever she got the chance he would twirl her around, lead her into another move, or lift her high above him. She readily conformed to however he moved her. It was like Hans Christianson Andersen tale "The Red Shoes". The mysterious prince threw her into the air and she transitioned into a final Grand jeté before landing gracefully on her feet in first position.

She turned in horror to find that her prince had turned into a hideous crow. He leaped at her. She screamed in surprise falling backwards. Where her back was expected to hit the stage she felt a falling sensation that seemed not only continuous but endless. She opened her eyes to find herself falling backwards off of a cliff…

Raven's eyes snapped open. Out of all the countless dancing dreams she had endured in her lifetime that was amongst the strangest. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but the rough rocking of the train reminded her. She stretched and glanced at her cellphone and found that she had only been asleep for about ten minutes. The trip from her hometown of Armonk, New York to Greenwich, Connecticut was not a particularly long one. She saw that she had missed a text from Roy Harper.

Roy was sweet and charming in his own right, but he was also a notorious womanizer. She had been forced to spend an entire two and a half months with him as they spent the summer touring with the Boston Ballet Co. through their summer production of Swan Lake, done to death of course but it was still one of her favorites.

As much as she loved to dance she was glad to be returning the Briarwood Academy of the Arts for what would be her last year. Briarwood was the one of the most prestigious performing arts school in the country located in one of the wealthiest towns in the nation.

The taxi drove Raven to the Academy from the train station. Despite the gray in sky and the chilly fifty-eight degree weather she felt a warmth as the cab pulled into the rusted gates. From the outside Briarwood resembled any other boarding school. The intimidating Tudor mansion did not reflect what it held indoors. A classical ballroom, furnished ballet studio overlooking Greenwich, and a massive theatre style auditorium.

The cab pulled into the south entrance. With a little difficulty Raven got her trunk and a large suitcase to the third floor of the girl's dormitory and found her room. There were two paper roses taped to the door. Her name was written in neat calligraphy. The name of her roommate, Karen Breecher, was written on the other.

Karen was classically trained musician, who was coming off a four night stint at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. Karen and Raven weren't really what you would call friends. They were roommates last year, both had such hectic schedules that they were rarely in the same room together. They were even on different sleep schedules. However after they both had had traumatic experiences with past roommates they decided not to risk it and requested to room with each other again.

The room was empty indicating that she had not yet arrived. The room was basic; two beds, two desks, two dressers, two nightstands, and two armoires. Her favorite feature was the large bay windows that overlooked the campus.

Raven quickly unpacked and stored her suitcase in the closet. The room still looked bare. She added her minimum personal features, three black and white posters of Anna Pavlova. Unlike most students Raven didn't clutter up her space with pictures of family and friends. She didn't have a lot of consistent friendships to speak of and her relationship with her parents, her only living relatives, was cold at best. She remembered when she left this morning her suitcase in hand. She had stopped in the dining room where her mother and father were sitting at opposite ends of the table. After a moment without notice she cleared her throat awkwardly.

Both of them looked up at her. "Oh you're leaving already?" Her mother asked.

"Yes." Raven said standing up stiffly.

"Will you be returning home soon?"

"I don't think so. I probably won't be back until winter break." She stated.

"Oh okay." Her mother said returning to her newspaper. "Have fun."

Her father merely grunted. Since Raven came to Briarwood she spent a collective no less than five but no more than twelve weeks with her parents a year. The three weeks in between first and second semester were almost unbearable. One year when she was fifteen she didn't even bother coming home. She rented an expensive room at the Mariott in New York City and spent Christmas watching the New York Ballet's performance of "The Nutcracker". They never even asked her about the extra charges on her credit card.

"It's good to be back." She said to herself as she flopped down onto her deep amethyst comforter.

This would be Raven's last semester at Briarwood. After the winter ballet production, which she was sure to star in, she would have enough credits to graduate a semester early. What she would do afterwards was still up in the air. If worst came to worst Ms. Petrie one of her first ballet instructors had offered her an internship, which she would accept. Anything was better than having to spend the next five months with Tristan and Angela.

Raven spent the next hour reading her battered copy of _Wuthering Heights. _After a while she got bored and decided to clear out her in box, not that there was much too clean. One email caught her eye. Her heart immediately sped up.

It was from the Royal Ballet School in London. She had auditioned for a spot in their company during spring semester. It was her childhood dream to study there. She had already been rejected from the Paris Opera Ballet School and the Marrinsky Ballet School in Russia. She had gotten those notifications in between scenes during a couple of her performances a few weeks ago.

She mentally prepared herself for the possible rejection. Even if she was rejected from the Royal Ballet she was by no means out of options. She had a spot waiting for her at the School of American Ballet in New York and Royal Academy of Ballet in Hawaii. Plus she could always apply to Julliard. Though conventional education wasn't really for her, Raven had taken her SATs in the spring as a net. She had done very well, not that her English comprehensive skills mattered to any of the ballet scouts that she had tried out for.

Raven finally worked up enough nerve to open the email.

_Dear Ms. Raven Roth,_

_Thank you for your interest in the Royal Ballet School. We appreciate your time in auditioning and patience with the admissions process. As you may know our scouts are dedicated to finding the most talented and dedicated dancers to train in the classical art of ballet. We see thousands of auditions every year from performers all over the world, and though we are impressed by the talent and hard work conveyed by every dancer we cannot admit every hopeful as our available spots are scarce. With that being said we are pleased to inform you that have been accepted into one of the few available positions at the Royal Ballet School-_

Raven couldn't get past the first paragraph. She gasped audibly, which was very uncharacteristic of her. Her body suddenly felt hot as the relief- the unbelievable sense unbridled joy flooded her. If she was an emotional person she would have cried. But Raven Roth was not one to emote.

She simply closed her eyed, leaned her head back, and sighed. It was going to be a great year.

* * *

Raven sat in her AP European history class impatiently tapping her pen. It was the first day of classes and they had a quiz on the summer reading, all about renaissance. She spent the only two weeks of her summer vacation that wasn't spent on the stage at the Manhattan Public Library catching up on her schoolwork. It was a good way to avoid having to spend time with her parents. Raven quickly breezed through her quiz and passed it into the teacher.

The ballet department had to meet in a half an hour and discuss this year production. This is when they would always announce what they would be performing for the winter session. She pushed the doors open and a gust of wind rushed past her. Raven tightened her scarf before braving the journey across campus. She made it to the dance studio and found a group of ballerina huddles outside of Ms. Cotillard's office chattering heatedly.

Raven's eyebrows furrowed. "What's going on?" she asked a first year student.

"The Headmaster has decided to allow the theatre department to perform during the winter session." She said.

Raven's heart dropped.

She needed the credit from her final performance to be able to graduate this semester. If she didn't she wouldn't be able to go to the Royal Ballet School. She suddenly felt like all eyes were on her. Raven was by far the best dancer at Briarwood and everybody knew it. This news was much more devastating for her.

In Briarwood's 121 year history the ballet department was always allowed to perform for winter session, while the theatre department got the spring session. However in the past few years there had been some disputing between the programs over the right to winter session.

Without another word Raven stormed off to the auditorium to find Headmaster Bryant.

Bryant was outside of the side entrance to the stage in the corridor. He looked up to see an unhappy ballerina approaching him and had the sudden instinct to run in the opposite direction. The ballerinas were…testy.

"Uh, oh Ms. Roth nice to see you. Ms. Cotillard told me about the Royal Ballet, I believe a congratulation is in order." He immediately started blubbering and walking briskly down hall.

"Yes, thank you. It isn't true is it? What they were saying about winter session." She asked following him.

"Yes, it's true. The theatre department has been riding my ass, pardon my French, for years about so I'm giving them a chance."

"But what about the ballet? I need the credits from my final performance to transfer to the Royal Ballet next semester."

"You'll have a chance to get that credit-next semester. I'm sure they'll hold your spot until the fall." Bryant said quickly entering the safety of his office. "Once again congratulations Ms. Roth and please continue to make us proud."

With that she found his door slammed it her face before she could argue. Raven stood in front of the door for a long moment her heart breaking in her chest. She looked up to see a group of actors outside of the auditorium side entrance watching her curiously. She wondered how long they had been standing there. Raven recognized them; Garfield Logan and his friends.

She stood up straight and mustered up whatever dignity she had left. They all looked uncomfortable as she walked towards them.

Garfield smiled. "Uh hi!"

She brushed past the group with saying a word. Victor shook his head once she had disappeared from sight.

"That wasn't rude at all." He said sarcastically as they entered the auditorium.

Raven spent the better part of the next week and a half brooding. She could say goodbye to her spot at the Royal Ballet School. It really did devastate her and her heart felt heavy. After about three days of laying in the dark listening to nonstop Tchaikovsky Karen mustered up enough courage to ask her what was wrong. Raven spilled her guts like it was her job. She just needed someone to listen to her for a minute.

After another two days Raven decided to be proactive. She would not let her dreams be ripped out right from under her without a fight. She volunteered as a junior dance instructor for children aged six to ten. She would spend every Wednesday night and Saturday morning teaching ballet to kids with rich parents. It wasn't ideal but the credits would bring her one step closer to graduating and hence one step closer to London.

As far as the play, Raven attempted to avoid hearing anything about it which was next to impossible. From what she had heard the play would be a contemporary piece called the "The Prince and the Crow (1)". Her childhood nanny had often read her that fairytale. It was about a prince who had lost his heart in a battle with an evil Crow and the princess who was fighting to restore it. It was an unconventional choice but Briarwood was an unconventional school.

Auditions had been last Friday and that morning Richard Grayson was chosen as the lead, which surprised absolutely no one. Briarwood was filled to the brim with talented actors but Dick Grayson was like Johnny Depp of the academy. He was immensely talented, good looking, and didn't hurt that his father was a major sponsor.

That was as far as Raven cared to know. She sighed as she placed her bag far stage right and turned on her iPod® speakers. _Dance in the Dark _began to blast as she warmed up. The auditorium was empty at this hour in the morning, and she took advantage. Her feet began to move with the music.

When she was on stage she felt like a different person. All of her troubles her worries, her anxieties, her parents they were all left at the door. She got lost in the music and time just stood still. Even in front of an audience she felt like she was the only person in the world.

She was warmed up in time for the bridge. She turned into a tournament on bended knee. She could feel the stage swooshing around her. The scene melted into nothing and there was nothing around her besides the spotlight. With every graceful move she was reminded of why she had worked so hard the past near fifteen years. She could brisé, she could do chaînés turns, she could leap, she could pique, she could pirouette, and she could do it all en pointe.

As the song came to the last thirty seconds she ended in arabesque position. All of her weight was on her right toe with her arm and leg outstretched. She was in the moment.

Suddenly a loud screech echoed through the auditorium. Raven gasped and fell out of position. Sitting in the audience looking like the cats that ate the canary was Garfield Logan and all of his friends. Raven felt flushed. Were they stalking her? She, as calmly as possible gathered up her speakers and stuffed them into her bag as she, hurried down the stairs and fled the auditorium.

"Wait!" She heard a voice call out to her as she hurried from the auditorium.

Garfield Logan was jogging up to her. "Hey wait."

"What do you want." She said curtly.

"I uh," he said rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I saw you dancing, you were really good."

"Thank you." She said walking away.

He grabbed her arm. "Hold on-"

His forest green eyes penetrated her. It was as if he could see right through her.

Raven winced and yanked her arm out of his grasp. She face felt hot as she rushed out of the hall and into the drizzly September air. She hastily wrapped a scarf around her neck. She was still slightly shaking from the encounter. She was more embarrassed than she should've been. She took quick refuge in the dining hall. It was medieval style and had long table and high curved arches.

She wished so very much that she could return to the solitude of the stage. After ten minutes her hands were still shaking and her heart was pounding in her chest. She pulled out a bottle of prescription pills and a water bottle. She walked back to entrance and braced herself for the sudden downpour. The rain immediately soaked through her sweater and the rest of her clothes. The wind stuck her hair to the side of her face.

_The rain is the most powerful element. _She mused as she crossed the campus. It could be heavy and sudden. It could extinguish a fire and leave no evidence behind. She stopped briefly and watched a flood of water fall into the drain. The water was a reddish color having mixed with the freshly applied mulch in the garden.

She wished she could be like the rain, and wash all of her problems behind.

* * *

So that's where it ends for now. I've been trying to write this since 2007 and since I need to write something while I revamp my non AU story I decided to go for it. It gets a lot darker or at least dramatic later on.

(1)The play is based on a anime called _Princess Tutu_


	2. Don't Dream It's Over

Raven made sure she was alone this time. It was late, or rather early, sometime after midnight. The abandoned auditorium was kind of creepy at night. Built in the mid nineteenth century, it had seen and housed more history than most libraries. It was completely dark except a few lights from the high ceiling. It was also drafty. Raven glanced up.

The stage was an intricate design of heavy lights, coiled ropes, and rickety old ladders. It was like a beehive, so simple on the outside from an untrained eye, but so busy beyond what most people could see. Raven relished the stage, it was her heroin. Ever since she first stepped on it when she was three years old, it had become her home. She felt strange when she wasn't on it she felt strange. Empty in a way. She was kind of a gypsy in that way.

Ever since, she got caught the other day she had been more careful about where and when she got her fix. During the day was much too risky. It wasn't so much that she cared if people knew that she danced, it just…made her seem a little strange. She had already acquired a reputation as the most fiercely dedicated dancer in school, and while this was widely known among those in the ballet department, she did not want word getting around that she was some sort of emotionally unstable, dance obsessed nut job.

She did a quick stretch before turning her iPod©. This time she played something a little more classical than Lady Gaga. Nina Simone's husky voice echoed off the stage. Raven began her dance. It was nothing fancy or even coordinated. She just listened to the music and let the music take her. It wasn't long before she was completely lost in it.

Suddenly someone was behind her, and hand found their way to her waste.

"I believe a congratulations are in order." A voice said into her ear, before she knew what was happening.

She gasped loudly in shock, before losing her footing and stumbled. A pair of arms caught her before she hit the ground.

She spun around to face the intruder. She let out a breath that didn't know she had been holding. "You scared me." She said breathlessly.

The man laughed. "My apologies." He said setting her onto her feet.

Malcolm Warner was a choreographer for the school. He was British, twenty-seven, good looking, charming, and a hell of a dancer. Raven credited him with really pushing her to her full potential. Where others saw good he saw excellent and strode to make her so. They share an atypical relationship than most students and mentors. He was her teacher, her confidante, and her friend.

"So, my little superstar, didn't I tell you you'd get into the Royal?"

Raven threw her arm around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pondered if he was enjoying too much the feeling of her body completely pressed against his.

"You told me I could do it and I did." She said.

Malcolm smile as Raven settled back on her feet. Her momentary bliss had instantly disappeared, and a sad almost defeated look settled on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"It's nothing." She whispered.

Her eyes shifted towards the floor. He lifted her chin with his index finger.

"It's not nothing. You should be over the moon right now. Is this about the winter session? Don't let kill your spirit."

Raven sighed and stepped away from him. She turned her back to him and gazed into the empty audience. She didn't speak for a long moment. Malcolm stepped behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"We'll figure something out." He whispered against her neck.

He continued to kiss her neck while one hand slithered from her side and gently made its way to the side of her face. This thumb ran over her soft lips. Her eyes watched the dimness in front of her until they eventually shifted towards his face. A bashful smile ran across her lips as she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. She turned around for easier access.

His finger tangled in her hair as he led her backstage, their lips never leaving each other. Raven gasped as her back was suddenly pressed against the wall. His hands slid up her sides and over the bareness of her back and shoulders before settling on the side of her face again. Raven truly did have the most remarkable eyes he'd ever seen.

"We'll figure something out." He said kissing her forehead. "I promise."

* * *

"Okay everyone, we have a lot of work to do. Please quiet down." Mr. Samberg the director at the theatre department attempted to quiet down the auditorium.

Mr. Samberg was a classic case stress ball. Every season he would worry himself into a frenzy from everything from stage markers to the lighting. God forbid anyone forget a line during rehearsals. Because the theatre department was doing the winter session for the first time in Briarwood's history, the pressure was really on.

Everyone assuaged Mr. Samberg and took their seats in the audience. Garfield felt his hands shaking, and his leg involuntarily twitching. Today they would be announcing leads. As crazy as it sounded Garfield was not hoping for a lead, he was aiming for a supporting role.

Dick and Kory were seating down the aisle. As if he were reading his mind Dick looked over at him and a smug smile spread across his face. Garfield's stomach lurched.

It had all started three days before their audition.

Kory and Dick were in the student lounge with every drama and comedy transcript, Shakespearean or otherwise, spread out in front of them. Kory was flipping through _A Raisin in the Sun_, while Dick was rereading his favorite scene from _The Crucible. _They were both trying to find the right monologue to read for their auditions. Dick loved drama above all things. He had gotten a lead in last year's spring production with a scene from _Othello_. Drama was powerful and commanding. Kory, on the other hand, preferred musicals more specifically operas. As long as she had been in America she still hadn't mastered the English dialect, but with opera this was not a problem. In all of her three years of going to Briarwoods the theatre department had put on two musicals and had yet to perform an opera.

Kory frowned at her dilemma, but she was determined to overcome. Yes, this would be year she determined as she settled on a scene from _Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe_. Something understated yet powerful was just what she needed to impress the judges. Dick on the other hand had was facing a dilemma.

"I really want greatly to land a lead this year." Kory said.

Dick smiled and grabbed her hand reassuringly. "You'll do great."

In a span of twenty-six hours he had read _Princess Tutu _backwards and forwards, cover to cover. He still could not understand the character of Mytho. He was so vacuous and unimportant. He never once made things happen for him, he just had things happen to him. Being in the theatre department meant always vying for the lead, but the lead for such an unimpressive character. But the role of the Knight, there was a character. He was hateful, and yet compassionate, he was flawed. It was a much better way to flex his acting abilities, and besides it wasn't like he hadn't gotten the lead a hundred times in the past. Yes, Dick Grayson would attempt to secure a supporting role.

For his audition he decided on _Macbeth_, his all-time favorite play. He had long since dreamt of the day when he would be able to perform a piece from it, even though it was just for an audition.

"Hey guys." Came Garfield's voice as he joined the duo.

Kory greeted him with her typical enthusiasm while Dick nodded in acknowledgment of his presence.

"I see you guys are getting ready for auditions." He said fingering a battered copy of _Taming of the Shrew_.

Dick scoffed in amusement. "Oh and you're not."

Gar shrugged. "I just finished reading the script. Man, this play is weird. A girl turns into a duck, a prince without any emotional capacities…"

"It's not weird," Dick corrected "it's avant garde."

"Whatever. And I mean what's the deal with this prince? He has no personality, no passion, no nothing. You can't root for him because he doesn't do anything, but you can't hate him for the same reasons. The only time he even acts remotely interesting is at the end of the last act."

Kory giggled. "So I guess you won't be auditioning for lead."

Garfield shrugged. Around Briarwood Garfield was known as the resident comedian. During his time at Briarwood had won the roles of Claudio in _Much Ado about Nothing_, Orsino in _Twelfth Night, _and Harpagon in _The Miser_. Not to mention he traveled during summer breaks to competitions across the country with the Briarwood comedy troupe the Woodlings, and was co-president of the improv club. He was a natural comedian and always had subtle ways of making his characters his own, but this was his last year at Briarwood and yes being funny was great, as a matter of fact, it was a part of who he was but he was looking for more. He wanted to prove to everyone that he could more than just the funny guy.

"Actually, I really want to challenge myself this time. I think I'm going to audition for the role of the Knight."

Dick's head snapped up. "You? _You_ want to audition for the Knight?"

Garfield's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean."

"Uh, nothing." Dick said returning to his script. "It's just…nevermind."

"What?"

"No, no it's nothing really."

"What is it?"

"I said it was nothing, just drop it okay."

"If you have something to say then just say it."

Dick ignored him, until Garfield had had enough and yanked the book right out his hands.

Dick sighed. "It's just...you know." He tried to put this as delicately as possible. "It's kind of an intense part. Do you really think you're cut out for it?"

Garfield's shoulders straightened. He and Dick had had something of a rivalry going all long as they both could remember. Theatre was a small community where the best roles were scarce. It was common, even natural, to have a personal competitor pushing you further into your craft. Richard and Garfield were unspoken rivals. Yes, they were friendly and yes they ran in the same circles but one's weakness was the other's strength. Dick possessed a power and mesmerizing intensity that Garfield could not live up to. While Garfield was much more malleable could did not become so immersed into his roles that he could easily adapt to changes in character, plus his natural comedic skills. It was nothing new between them.

But yet this was it, the final curtain. They both wanted, no needed this part to launch them into greatness. Mr. Samberg was always saying "You're only as good as your last performance." A good performance, a truly great performance was impossible to forget.

Garfield grumbled something inaudible before storming off to his room. He was about to angrily flop down on his bed, before he realized it was covered in the clothes that he had yet to unpack. He decided to take a seat at his desk, which was clean for the time being. He huffed angrily.

As much as he wanted to he really couldn't be mad at Dick right now. This was the nature of their professional relationship. Whenever one would succeed where the other failed, they would psyche each other out with backhanded compliments.

"Dick your performance was inspiring. You really seemed like a real comedian."

"Garfield that was your best performance to date. You really didn't notice the way you missed your mark in the third act."

So on and so forth.

Garfield sighed. If Dick's goal was to psyche him out, it worked. Garfield threw his head back and languished. If he was going to be honest with himself Dick had him beat by a mile. Not, to say that he was bad himself, it was just Dick was better in these sort of roles. He had more classical training and no matter how good of an actor he was he always strived to do better. He spent the summer playing Moritz in an off Broadway run of _Spring Awakening_, for God's sake!

Garfield shook his doubt from his mind. No, he would not be intimidated. He had it in him, he just needed to practice and really pull it out. Originally Garfield had planned on doing a scene from _The Crucible_, but it was really going show up Dick he needed something more.

Yes, this time it was his turn.

* * *

It was basically the worst thing that could have possibly happened to him on the day of auditions.

Garfield had spent the past two days in Thoreuian isolation, perfecting his scene. He had ultimately chosen act four scene three from _Macbeth_, when Macduff discovers that his family has been murdered. The scene was powerful and the character makes a broad transition. He clocked out around two in the morning when he was satisfied with his ability to deliver the scene. Too nervous to sleep for long, he ended up going for an early breakfast, only to find he was too nervous to eat his favorite vegetarian omelet.

"Good morning friend! It is a beautiful day, is it not?" Came the ever so cheery voice of Kory.

"Oh, hey Kor. You're up early."

"Oh, yes." She said taking a seat across from him. "I got a good night's rest, then I was so excited for my audition this morning that I got up, went to the gym, took a shower, and went to my audition."

"How do you think it went?"

"Oh it was most glorious. I changed my mind yesterday and decided to do a scene from my most favorite play-"

"_A Raisin in the Sun_" they said in unison.

If there was anything that absolutely everyone knew about Kory is was her love of _A Raisin in the Sun_. the sudden appearance of Vic saved Gar from having to hear every painstaking detail of Kory's audition.

"Hey guys." He said brightly plopping a stuffed binder full of sheet music.

"What's all this?" Garfield asked, picking up the heavy binder.

Victor snatched it out of his hands. "Oh nothing, just the first draft of all the music the orchestra will be performing for the play."

"What?! No, way." Garfield said trying to steal another look.

Victor placed it out of his reach. "And guess who's been chosen to co-conduct the production."

Kory gasped loudly before throwing her arms around Victor's neck in her famous bone breaking hug. "Oh friend that is most glorious. Congratulations."

"Thanks Kory" Victor choked. "Dick told me he heard from a very reliable source that I was being considered by the maestro to conduct, but I thought he was just yanking my chain. Where is that spiky haired know it all?"

Garfield tensed. Kory and Victor took notice but didn't say anything. Everyone knew about their friendly rivalry. Kory looked at her cellphone.

"It is close to his audition time. He said we could watch him in the gallery." She quipped glancing at Garfield. "But we do not have to go. In fact it might just make him nervous."

"Dick Grayson, nervous? Are we talking about the same person? When has he ever bee ner-ow!" He said as Kory delivered a mild elbow to the ribs.

Kory nonchalantly picked the stem off of a strawberry, while Victor pretended to find his stack of waffles fascinating. Garfield rolled his eyes.

"We can watch his audition."

Kory and Victor exchanged a look.

"Are you sure man? You know how competitive you guys get." Vic said.

"Of course." He said standing up. "It's just another play, it's not like it's really going to change anything."

Truthfully Garfield wanted to see how Dick did. He, himself, had worked tirelessly to prepare his audition pieces, he was feeling pretty confident and he wanted Dick to knew he would not be intimidated. He reassured Victor and Kory that he was not going to take this too seriously by joking about it all the way to theatre.

The auditions were being held in the little theatre, where rehearsals usually took place. Dick was sitting along the wall outside reading Hemingway. He could be so pretentious sometimes. He smiled when he saw them.

"Hey" he said standing up. "Come to watch me land the part of the Knight."

That was directed at Garfield.

He smiled back. "Come to watch you lose the part of the Knight."

It was a joke, but not really. Just then the door swung open.

"Mr. Grayson, they're ready for you."

Dick took a deep breath. "Well wish me luck."

Kory moved to pull him into a hug, but Victor's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Kory, he's going to need those lungs."

Her cheeks flushed. "Best of luck." She whispered.

He responded by brushing a piece of hair behind her ears. "Thanks."

Victor and Garfield wished him luck (Garfield more or less sarcastically). He and Garfield engaged in one more face off before he disappeared into the theatre. Him, Victor, and Kory climbed the staircase and piled into the gallery.

Garfield watched his competitor intently as he entered the theatre, introduced himself (as if he needed introducing), and handed the producers his headshot and resume. They chatted for a few minutes and Dick said something funny that made them all laugh before he finally took the stage.

"I will be auditioning for the role of Fakir the Knight." It was easier to hear him under the microphone.

"And what scene have you prepared for us." Ms. Reynolds, the head of the theatre department asked.

"I will be performing act four scene three from _Macbeth_." He announced.

Up in the gallery Garfield's blood froze. He watched in horror as Dick performed the same scene that he had worked tirelessly on. The small spark of optimism, that perhaps Dick's rendition would not even be that impressive, was extinguished when he began. It was a flawless performance. Simply breathtaking. Even his accent was perfect.

Garfield's stomach lurched. There was no way he could compete with that. Yanking his cellphone out of his pocket, he saw that he had little more than an hour and half to come up with something. He told Victor and Kory, who were to mesmerized by Dick to even really notice him, that he had forgotten his headshot in his room and needed to retrieve it.

Panicking as he slid out of the gallery and raced down the stair. He burst into the first empty room that he could find which just happened to be the men's restroom. He paced for a while.

He could just do his best, perform the same scene and let the best man win. _This of course would be Dick._ That only left one option: he had to do a different scene. It disappointing, downright maddening. For the past two days he knew nothing but _Macbeth_, but if there was even so much of a chance of being considered for the Knight he had to separate himself from Dick. The irrational, jealous part of him thought Dick had planned this whole thing on purpose.

Refocusing, he dumped the contents of his bag onto the floor, praying it was there.

"Yes!" He whispered to himself, seeing his copy of _The Crucible _still in his bag.

He had originally planned to do a scene before he decided to be bold and try _Macbeth_. He remembered most of the lines, and if he hurried he would have just enough time go over his performance.

_God Help me. _

* * *

Everyone who was a part of the production from actors to costumes to lightening packed the auditorium space. Mr. Little, the director, was standing center stage. His mere presence was commanding. Tonight he would be announcing he would be announcing roles.

It the day that Garfield had both dreaded and poised for. His audition had been okay. It was not his worst though certainly not his best. It was out of his hands now.

"As you all know we will be doing things a lot differently than we used to. Since we will be takeover the winter session instead of the spring, we have a lot less time to prepare. We will have fourteen weeks from today until opening night."

There were loud groans of protest from the audience.

Mr. Little waited for the noise to subside before continuing. "I except this will pose especially difficult for costume so do not procrastinate."

He went on about big opportunities and how proud he was of everyone who helped make this possible until finally, "And now the moment you've all been waiting for who has been chosen among our elite team to play major parts."

Suddenly everyone in the room seemed more attentive. At Briarwood getting the lead was like winning prom queen. Mr. Little cleared his throat.

"The role of Rue and Princess Kraehe goes to Kole Chambers." A loud roar of applause broke out. "The role of Fakir and the Knight goes to…"

Garfield's stomach lurched.

"…Richard Grayson."

As the room broke into an even louder applause a small smile found its way to Dick's face. Garfield felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. Mr. Little waited for the room to quiet before continuing.

"And now for leads. The role of Prince Mytho goes to…Garfield Logan."

Garfield was mildly shocked. Lead? Him? Really? This is was most disappointed he had ever been to get the lead. Still his smiled graciously, as the warmth of applause rolled through him.

"Finally the part of Duck and Princess Tutu goes to…drum roll please… Tara Markov. Thank you for everyone who auditioned. Like every year I remind you there are no small roles, only small actors. A full cast list is being posted outside my office as we speak. As of tonight we have fifteen weeks and four days until opening night. Good luck everyone. Actors we will begin rehearsals tonight at six in the Little theatre. Thank you all."

As soon as the presentation was over Garfield was swarmed. He smiled thanked everyone for their words of congratulations. He finally made it outside where Dick was consoling a disappointed looking Kory.

"It's okay Kory, really. We all get the part we're meant to play. Isn't that right Garfield?" Dick said.

Garfield felt the dig. "Yeah, Kory it just wasn't your part. What did you end up getting ?"

"Princess Kraehe's understudy." Dick answered.

Kory's face brightened a little. "I will work hard and be the best understudy possible."

Dick smiled at her. "Thatta girl."

He hated seeing Kory sad.

"Ah there you are my stars." Mr. Little greeted the group. "I wanted to have a chat with you all before the season really gets into high gear."

"What's up?" Garfield asked.

Mr. Little opened his mouth to say something, when he was interrupted by the calling of his name. everyone turned around to see Mr. Igbokwe, the head of the theatre department. He did not look happy.

"Mr. Little why was I not notified about a problem with the script."

"Problem?" Mr. Little said nervously. "I was not aware there was a problem."

"Then why is it I got an email ten minutes ago from the owners of the play's title that the completed versions of the script got lost in the mail, but they should have arrived today." He said angrily waving a much thicker version of the script. "Apparently you've been using the sample version."

Mr. Little's face grimaced as he grabbed the new script and flipped through it. "But this script involves ballet!"

"Ballet!" Dick, Kory, and Garfield said together.

Mr. Little shot them a look that said hush. "Not to worry, I'll get this all sorted out."

Mr. Little and Mr. Igbokwe flew office into his office as they watched in horror in amazement.

"You…you don't think they'd actually make us dance? Do you?" Garfield asked.

"No, of course not." Dick said. Even he didn't sound convinced. "But who knows it wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen at Briarwood."

"I guess not." Garfield concurred. "And even if they do it's just a little dancing. How hard could it be? It's not like it'll change our lives or anything.

* * *

Raven did not call her relationship with Malcolm an "affair".

Not by any means. By twenty-first century it was pretty chaste. She had met Malcolm three years again when she had first started going to Briarwood, where he was a choreographer. Yes, out of all of his students Raven had the most potential. Yes, he had determined to mold her into something truly spectacular. Raven had always been a _good_ dancer, better than most even but with his guidance she was going to make her star.

So he took the girl under his wing and pushed her like he'd never pushed another student before. He introduced her to important people, took her performances, got her private lessons with the best teachers on the east coast, he even videotaped her routines she they could go over where she needed improvements. Yes, for three years he spent hours with making sure she was getting better. Yes, he was hard on her, sometimes excessively so, but Raven was tough and so was her spirit. She never cried or even so much as complained. She took his instruction to heart, and she became truly great.

In Malcolm's eyes Raven was a masterpiece and he had nothing but confidences that she would go on to have an immensely successful career when she left him.

They were as close any master and protégé and yes, they shared a special bond than with their other teachers or students. Despite where they ended up it was completely platonic…until last year that was.

What Raven began to feel for her mentor was nothing she could put into words at the time. Her world seemed a lot brighter when he was around. Raven had finally reached a point in her professionalism where Malcolm was satisfied that she didn't need him around as often. He watched her intently as she prepared to lead _La Bayadere _for the winter performance. There was a lot of romantic tension that fall.

Opening night was an experience. When she was on stage it was like he was the only person in the room. She truly put her soul into that performance and it was the best she had ever danced. While he was watching her, she was watching him. The look of pure wonder on his face, everything he had worked so hard to accomplish she had put into that dance.

Afterwards had been overwhelming. She spent half of the opening night party accepting congratulations for what was surely going to be considered a critically acclaimed performance. She failed to find him among the throng of people, but eventually escaped to the dance studio hoping she could find it in her to dance so well again.

There he was in the place where they had first met, bathed in the moonlight and God he was so beautiful. He smiled at her and told how well she did as she stood in front of him in the moonlight. _Those eyes, those amethysts colored eyes_, he thought as she leaned in and kissed him.

It was kept secret of course, no one would understand. Their relationship was mild. She only granted him kisses and permission to hold her hand. He accepted it gladly, eagerly even. Sometimes she would perform a dance that was for his eyes only and the beauty of it was all the intimacy he needed.

Raven was broken from her reverie.

"Okay first position." the five year old all shifted their feet awkwardly and peeked at each other to make sure they were doing it right.

Raven had accepted a position as a junior dance instructor to build up credit. She was currently in her fourth dance class teaching basic ballet. It was not the way she had planned to spend her Saturday mornings, this semester but if it brought her an inch closer to London…

"Good keep your feet straight." She said bored. "And second position. Good."

Suddenly there was a disturbance outside. Raven's eyes glanced towards the door.

"Uh, third position." She said distracted to the girls whose attention was now fixedly on the door.

Suddenly the door flung open and a frazzled looking Malcolm appeared. An unhappy looking Ms. Cotillard, the head of the ballet department was engaged in a heated argument with Mr. Little the head of the theatre department.

Raven couldn't keep the pure shock off of her face.

"Excuse me Raven sorry for the interruption, but could I borrow you for a moment?" He asked breathlessly.

"Uh, sure."

"Girls practice your pliés until I get back." She said stepping outside.

"Uh, what's going on?" Raven asked.

Malcolm led her downstairs into one of the practice dance studios. Raven entered first.

There was Ms. Cotillard the head of the ballet department engaged in a heated argument with Mr. Little the head of the theatre department. Dick, Kory, Garfield, and a small blonde girl that she didn't recognize were also there. They all look frustrated, tired, and sweaty.

"Wha-" she started unable to keep the shock off her face

Ms. Cotillard silenced as soon as she realized Raven was in the room. The unhappiness that had previously marred her face melted at the sight of her.

"Raven!" she said happily rudely stepping around Mr. Little. "You remember petit allegro and pirouette combination we practiced for the fall, yes?"

Raven's eyes glanced at the group of actors who were watching her curiously.

"Uh, yes?"

"Could you please?" Cotillard asked motioning to the floor.

"Yes, of course." Raven said without giving it a second thought.

She pulled the sweater she had been wearing off and tossed it to the side.

"Do you need a warm up?" Cotillard asked.

"No, I'm good."

She moved to the center of the dance floor and rolled her shoulders back waiting for the music to begin. It was a simple routine. She began in second position and did a number of expert petit allegro which evolved into jeté. She did a few turns, a entrechat quatre, and ending in a pirouette.

"Se magnifique!" Ms. Cotillard immediately broke into applause. "See I told you she was perfect."

"Great," the man see recognized as director of the theatre department, Mr. Little. "She's got the part."

Raven was confused. "Wait what?"

Malcolm interrupted before she could inquire further. "Thank you so much, you won't be disappointed."

"For your sake and mine, I hope not he added. Ms. Cotillard do you mind accompanying me to the Dean's office to assuage some of his worries." They left without another word.

"What's going on? What did he mean I got the part?" she asked as soon as they were alone.

"Raven, you're going to be in the play." He said bluntly.

Panic filled her immediately. "What do you mean I'm going to be in the play! I'm not an actor, I'm a dancer. I won't do it."

Malcolm ran his hands up and down her comfortingly. "Raven, don't worry. There was a problem with the production and it turns out they need a couple of dancer to play some parts. It's just dancing you won't even have any lines."

She felt a little better. "But-"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. We got the call this morning and I knew you'd say no. If you do this they'll give you the credits you need to graduate and then there's nothing stopping you from getting to the Royal." He could see the look of uncertainty in her eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

His hands found their way to her waist. "I told you I'd figure something out." He kissed her on the cheek.

She felt her melt at his touch. She sighed. "It's just dancing?"

He smiled widely. "You'll be great my superstar."

She looked at the stunning man in front of her and hung on to his every word. She be damned if she was going to let him down.

* * *

So I know I mentioned Malcolm in the last chapter, but I changed my mind about the role I want him to play in this story so his name in the first chapter has been changed .

So I wrote about four different versions of this chapter before combining two of them and getting this. I'm still not satisfied with it and I can come up with something better I will post it later. I'm not totally in love with this story yet and I'm preparing to study for my LSATs so please guys tell me what you want to happen. Suggestions are encouraged, maybe it will help me get over this plague of writer's block I've been having.

Rating is going to go up


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